The second annual Kids Night with the Perry Police Department will be held Tuesday, Aug. 1 from 5-7 p.m. in the parking lot of Hy-Vee.
At last year’s inaugural Kids Night, a steady stream of Perry-area children and their parents and guardians got up close and personal with officers of the Perry Police Department in a community-building campaign promoting police-community partnerships and neighborhood camaraderie.
“This is a chance for citizens to visit with members of the Perry Police Department and to show their support for all they do,” said Larry Vodenik, Hy-Vee community events coordinator.
“This is your chance to tell them, ‘Thanks,'” Vodenik said. “The focus again will be on the children of Perry, so bring the kids. Kids can sit in a police car and learn that the police are their friends and not to be afraid of. Bring your camera, and get a photo of the kids in a police car.”
Begun in 1984 by the National Association of Town Watch, the annual community-police awareness-raising event is held the first Tuesday of August, with the object of making neighborhoods safer, better places to live.
Kids get a chance to sit behind the wheel of a Perry PD patrol car and check out the view from the back seat. Play handcuffs will be deployed to give the young people a sense of the real thing, and officers will demonstrate the lights and sirens that catch our attention.
Stickers and free ice treats will be available, Vodenik said. The event is free and open to the public.
